Friday, October 22, 2010

One of the fun parts of being a hockey fan is keeping an eye on the record book. The game has a long and storied past, and it's always fun to see a player accomplish something special.

Whether it's a record being broken or a milestone being reached, you never know when you're going to have the chance to witness a little bit of history. This year is shaping up to be no exception. Several marks have already been set, and many more are potentially on the way.

Here's a collection of some of the records and milestones that fans should be watching for as the season plays out.

Ottawa Senators - Are probably only about 10 or 15 games away from setting the all-time league record for most times being coached by Bryan Murray.

Joe Thornton - The Sharks forward is closing in on several milestones this season, including 1,000 points, 300 goals, 700 assists, and four playoff wins.

Ondrej Pavelec - Recently collapsed to the ice untouched while the action was 180 feet away, nearly breaking Daniel Carcillo's league record of 185 feet.

Chris Osgood - Is only three wins away from joining the exclusive "400 career wins despite being completely terrible" club.

Florida Panthers - Are just a dozen new subscribers away from setting a new all-time franchise record for season ticket holders, with a dozen.

Daniel Alfredsson and Alexei Kovalev - Both players entered the season within ten points of 1,000 for their careers, which based on current rates of production will give Senator fans a chance to celebrate one of the games most important milestones once.

Daniel Sedin - Is just 15 career points away from becoming the league's all-time leading scorer among players who look exactly like Daniel Sedin.

Toronto Maple Leafs - Recently set the record for largest annual percentage increase in wins in the opening three weeks of the season, or would have, if division by zero were possible.

Jacques Martin - The Canadiens bench boss will coach in the 1,200th game of his career in November. The occasion will be marked in a pre-game ceremony in which a bucket of paint will be dumped on the ice, after which fans in attendance will be encouraged to spend 60 minutes watching it dry.

Kris Draper - Is just four assists away from joining the "200 assists" club, which would probably be more impressive if he wasn't also a member of the "wait hasn't he played in like 9,000 games?" club.

Wade Redden - Recently became the AHL's all-time leader in career salary upon completion of his first shift.

Martin Brodeur - The legendary goalie trails Patrick Roy's career saves mark by roughly 900, and will have an opportunity to break the record during a game next week when he is the only player the Devils can afford to dress.

Sean Avery - Will break his own record for "most people simultaneously wanting to see a guy get punched in the face", presumably, since experts tell us that the global population continues to grow.

Zack Stortini - Recently broke the career record for Corsi qualcomp score, which come to think of it is a little bit suspicious given that he's also the only person on the planet who knows how to calculate it.

Patrick Kane - Recently set some sort of record for career shots, according to local bartenders.

Roberto Luongo - Has a chance to reach the 300-win plateau late in the season, which by that point will be pretty darn good for a backup.

Chris Pronger - Will not actually set any records or reach any milestones this season, but will somehow still wind up with all the other players' souvenir pucks.